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Sad to say, some folks have never heard about God. And some others have heard, yet neglect to worship or to live Godly lives. In this season of “Aha!”–Epiphany–we see the light identifying Jesus as the Christ, and attempt to see where he’s coming from. We who have looked in the manger now are instructed to live changed lives, to come into the behavior of Jesus.

ISAIAH 49:1-7 is the Second Servant Song. The Prophet is encouraging both Babylonian Jews and those yet in the homeland to see how God’s hand is stirring the pot. It’s not enough to be the Chosen People; they (we) are expected to Change the World: “I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” Believers are called beyond their human weakness to show their enduring life in Christ. “The Servant has been prepared by God for nothing less than to bring the glory of God into view.” (Stephanie A. Paulsell, in FEASTING on the WORD, A 1:244)

We don’t know much about Sosthanes, but we do know that Paul includes him in the greeting to the CORINTHIAN Church(es), 1:1-9. This passage has been included because it speaks of God’s enrichment of the Believers there in every spiritual gift. At some distance, we can affirm that this grace was shed onto the Corinthians in order that they might Change their World, and thus ours. Paul in effect is saying, “Don’t be afraid to be identified with Jesus and his teachings: point to the Christ in all your dealings.”

JOHN, the great storyteller, lifts up the importance of John the Baptizer in 1:29-42. He (the Baptizer) not only tells the story of the dove of the Spirit that descended at Jesus’ baptism, but he also points him out to Andrew and the unnamed other. They followed Jesus, and began to Change the World. “Master, where are you staying?” “Come and see.” That’s the dialogue through all the centuries. How far will you go? How far will you stay away?

One of my favorite songs from childhood is this one, and I bet you know it too: “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine….let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.” Aha! The spirit of Epiphany…

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Won’t you join us every Tuesday to be confronted by the scriptures assigned by the Common Lectionary to be read on the upcoming weekend? At horacebrownking.com

Christmas is over, and now the work begins. What work? Well, living as though you had seen the ChristChild. What have you said that needs retracting? What DIDn’t you say when the opportunity presented itself? Have you been the recipient of exotic gifts, and now are wondering to whom to give them? Are there folks right around you who need words of cheer and gifts of kindness and compassion? The work of Christmas is ready to be begun.

ISAIAH of Babylon gives us the first of the Servant Songs, 42:1-9. Who is this servant? It’s the one who has looked into the manger. God has a special place for this (or these): “Here is my servant, whom I uphold…” And later, Isaiah tells of one who doesn’t harm a bruised reed or a dimly burning wick…and boy, do I qualify for either! This servant is committed to justice, to giving new sight (insight?) to the blind, and to releasing the prisoners from dungeons and darkness. “New things I now declare.”

ACTS 10:34-43 introduces Peter’s sermon at Caesarea. He speaks of the universality of Christ, how Jesus forgives the sin of all who call on his name, and how believers are commanded to do “good”. He says that we’re all invited–expected–to pick up this new life and include the oppressed wherever we find them. Some folks didn’t know of the Servant passages, but were still invited to join others who’ve peered into the manger.

Today we remember the baptism of Jesus, and maybe our own. MATTHEW 3:12-17 tells us about it. The most memorable thing was the Voice, which proclaimed Jesus as the Son of God, the Beloved. And our own baptisms, whether or not the Voice or the dove was perceptible, also were announced as being marked by this Spirit. One of the things we promise, or promised for us, is the quest for justice and righteousness. Matthew places this event right at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry; from there he was led by the Spirit into temptation, and conversations with the Evil One.

I usually try to end my blog with a hymn apropriate to the day. Fortunately for me, wiser minds than mine thought that “Splish,splash, I was taking a bath…” didn’t really cut it. So I lovingly present to you the third verse of “When Jesus Came to Jordan”: “Come, Holy Spirit, aid us to keep the vows we make; This very day invade us, and every bondage break.” –Fred Pratt Green, 1973 For you, 2026 is well begun!

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Remember your baptism and be glad by joining in the conversation about scriptures to be heard on the upcoming weekend; every Tuesday at horacebrownking.com

We’ve come to the questionable part of the Christian Year–Christmas has come and gone, we’re tired of tinsel, and the WiseMen are still on the horizon. Some of us will feel the urge to go back to bed to wait for the next holiday. Some of us will find that the Christmas Story opened a new door to where we’ve never walked before. And some of us will be glad for the Old Story to be told yet again, to sit quietly while the preacher and the Holy Book call us to serve our neighbor and the folks living under the bridge…

We’ll begin by reading the words of Wisdom as remembered in SIRACH 24:1-12. (Can’t find it? Look in the Apocryphal writings under Ecclesiastes.) Although this passage blatantly lifts up Israel as the only place for God, we still can read: “…my Creator chose the place for my tent”. As we contemplate the Christmas story, we here can see God’s intent to be with humankind. “The Creator god goes on making all things new. Lady Wisdom still receives visitors to her tent.” (Barbara Brown Taylor, in FEASTING on the WORD, A 1:175) Where has heaven touched Earth near you?

St. Paul reads better in Greek than the English translations. Still, we’re confronted by his Letter to the EPHESIANS, 1:3-14, which proclaims Jesus as the Christ (and makes an embarassing foray into predestin- ation). Not left alone to our own wisdom, we are a vital part of God’s enterprise of making us Real. So we’re exhorted to visit the sick, comfort the afflicted, and tell those who grieve that God is alive and well in the ChristChild–and so are we.

The Gospel reading is the prologue to that of JOHN, 1:1-18. Written perhaps 90 years past that First Christmas, John tells his readers that God was so involved with us that “the Word has become flesh and ‘pitched his tent’ among us, and we have seen his glory…” This confirms the Nativity story so well-told that we’ve heard on Christmas Eve. We shepherds have seen this glory face to face, and now we remember with joy the angleic chorus…and affirm this to the waiting populace through our gifts of reaching out and sharing with other shepherds.

Ah, yes; it’s a New Year on the calendar, and mine is still blank. What shall I write on these pages? How has the Christmas Event touched me?

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Bring your friends and join the conversation every Tuesday as we’re confronted by readings to be heard on the weekend according to the Common Lectionary; at horacebrownking.com

It’s Christmas! Now that the wrappings and ribbons are history, now that we’ve basked beneath the well-trimmed tree, it’s time to welcome the ChristChild and listen for the angels. They may have been drowned out by all the posturing of politics and the anxieties of shopping, but their song remains: “Peace on Earth, and Good Will to all mankind”. The Shepherds (washing their socks by night?) jumped up and went to the Holy Place. We’re to follow their lead, going to the Holy Places we know. There we may hear–

ISAIAH 63:7-9, in which God claims all of us as God’s children. …”(God) has shown them according to (God’s) mercy, according to the abundance of (God’s) steadfast love.” Even though the Exiles have returned to their homeland, they still endure hardships. Third Isaiah reminds them of the long history of God’s intercession on behalf of the People, even we fatigued post-Christmas People. Christmas is a wonderful time to recount the intimacy of God’s redemption, to tell the stories of God’s Salvation. I mean, who needs a GPS when we have angels?

The letter to the HEBREWS 2:10-18 reminds us that Jesus is our brother, saving us from slavery to death and the devil. Christmas should affirm that Jesus has indeed become like all humans. We’re reminded of the story about a man looking out of his window on a stormy night and pitying the flock of sparrows trying to be warm. “Maybe”, said he, “if I open the garage door, they’ll come in!” But when he did, the noise spooked the sparrows and they flew away. The man said, “If only I could be one of them, I’d lead them to safety.” How can we preach the Christmas story ourselves?

The Gospel, MATTHEW 2:13-23, tells about the Flight to Egypt, and the ensuing return to Nazareth. Why? Because Joseph had messages from angels, and thereby kept Jesus alive. Note that he followed these directives without dismissing them as foolish. Wasn’t he already the earthly father by accepting the words of an angel? Do heavenly visions still come, or are we seduced by the glitter of being a consumer? In the midst of our angst, does the Holy yet appear?

“Still through the cloven skies they come, with peaceful wings unfurled, And still their heavenly music floats o’er all the weary world; Above its sad and lowly plains, they bend on hovering wing, And ever o’er its Babel sounds the blessed angels sing.” (Edmund H Sears, 1849) O Lord, help us not to miss the angels! A joyous Christmas to all!!

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Rejoice with the scriptures assigned by the Common Lectionary every Tuesday! at horacebrownking.com

Don Saliers says, “In complicated times–politically, socially, economically–the yearning for some sign of promise and hope in the form of a new leader is still very much with us”. (FEASTING on the WORD, A1:76) It’s the Fourth Week of Advent, and churches are busier than ever. In the midst of this busy-ness, allow yourself to welcome this new leader in the form of the ChristChild. PEACE is more than good wishes on the cards we send to our friends.

ISAIAH 7:10-16 is often used as a proof-text for the coming of Jesus. As prescient as the Prophet was, he spoke to Ahaz about a regime-change which was to come. Including this confrontation in our Scriptures calls the hearer to question how God is inserting God’s-self into our own fears and inadequacies. What is it like to trust God in all these murky times? Where have you seen a sign of hope on your travels and in the news?

How does Paul greet the ROMANS in 1:1-7? With the announcement of Jesus as the Christ, the One who has given him the apostleship and impetus to nurture the Church, even in places he’s not yet visited. We still hold his words of praise and admonition as meaningful to our daily lives, encouraging us to view the Holy Child as God’s revelation of Good News in a troubled world. Some have understood this letter to be an invitation to a life of faith and hope, even as oligarchs and crooked politicians try to engulf us.

MATTHEW 1:18-25 introduces the Christmas story with the agony of Joseph, who was about to scrap the whole thing–but an angel appeared to him in a dream, telling him not only to accept the Child, but to name him Jesus, “for he will save his people from their sins”. Do we still need a savior? Does our immersion in shiny things separate us from living in the Kingdom? What Christmas announces is One who will show us a different way. Can we trust Jesus enough to follow him?

This blog is full of questions, and maybe that’s appropriate for Advent. “Surely the culminating call of the Advent season is a call to renew our commitment to Christ and his purposes for us in and for the World.” (David J. Wood, op.cit. A 1:88) May Christmas increase your love and hope for Peace on Earth and Good Will to All.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Every Tuesday we examine the Scriptures to be read according to the Common Lectionary…Come join us at horacebrownking.com

One of my favorite commercials is for a phone company: a guy is walking down a rural road exclaiming how good the reception is even out there. The end of the shot has him saying, “I really don’t know where I am!” Lessons to be heard on this upcoming weekend–the third one in Advent–remind us that God knows where we are/who we are, even if we feel lost.

ISAIAH 35:1-10 looks forward to the restoration of God’s Kingdom, and advises wannabe pilgrims of the signs to look for: “…the desert will rejoice and blossom….waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert…” Even there–especially there–creation rejoices in God’s glory. Wholeness has become the norm, and the desolate shall be renewed. The Holy Covenant shall be honored again. God yet again has made a way where only brokenness has seemed to triumph.

JAMES 5:1-10 preaches patience. As the farmer waits for the rain to sprout his crops, so we also must wait for the good times of the Lord. Some of us feel as though we’re running out of time–so FIX it, already! Advent is the time when the Church announces yet again the hope that God is not yet finished. We wait on tiptoe.

MATTHEW 11:2-11 presents John the Baptizer again, this time in prison. He questions Jesus, “Are you really the Messiah?” Jesus offers him signs in John’s personal desert: “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them…” Many are confused about who Jesus really is. It’s easier to hope for God to act when the sun is shining. The Advent always remembers John’s prison.

“The good news of Advent is ‘Look! Your God is coming!’….Obstacles will be removed and the covenant restored as people and the created order enter the sphere of salvation.” (Noel Leo Erskine, in FEASTING on the WORD, A 1:52,54) I dunno. It seems like I go to a lot of funerals of my friends, and I know that many families are separated. Some of us risk deportation, and microplastics are in our water. And God still makes a highway in the desert!

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

If anyone is there, please join us every Tuesday to be confronted by scriptures assigned to the upcoming weekend by the Common Lectionary; at horacebrownking.com

For me, it’s hard to find Jesus in a crowd. For sure, he’s not the dorky-looking guy in a striped sweater. Lessons to be read this weekend are about knowing that the Redeemer will come–but where? And how? We pew-sitters are reminded that we’re to expect God to re-enter our lives (despite the tinsel) and also to look actively for the signs of the Holy in our midst.

ISIAIAH 11:1-10 tells us that “a root will spring forth from the stump of Jesse”. When I pastored in Montrose, there was a huge cotton-wood tree growing in the property kitty-corner from the Parsonage. It was a DIIRTY tree: every midsummer would find bushels of “cotton” pouring down in the neighborhood. Finally, to everyone’s relief, the owners decided to take it down. But the next Spring, lines of shoots appeared in our neighbors’ yards, sprung from the roots still remaining in the ground. Even though David’s house had fallen into disrepair, says the prophet, be of good cheer! He will judge justly, and “the nations shall inquire of him…”

ROMANS 15:4-13 tells us about God’s steadfast love and our response to it. Despite our differences–the lion and the lamb–we’re to accept one another with open arms, seeing here the face of God in Christ. The Advent message, then, is to begin again with others (and ourselves) even as we peer into the manger.

John the Baptizer is a strange dude. Here in MATTHEW 3:1-12 we meet him in the wilderness, Where the Wild Things Are. Where the Christmas lights are not. To me, his baptism ministry is secondary to his preachment that the Chosen of God is near, that “his winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor and will gather his wheat into the granary” and will burn the leftovers. It’s a warning to those who think their lives are righteous that God’s expectations demand both confession and renewal.

Thomas Merton has said, “The Advent mystery is the beginning of the end of all that is in us that is not of Christ”. In this Holy Season, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Every Tuesday in Advent and throughout the year, we meet here to be touched by God through scriptures to be heard on the upcoming weekend. Come join us!

“Are you ready for Christmas?” Well, if you mean sending all my cards and trimming the tree, shopping and hanging my stockings with care… NO, NO, NO! Are we ready for the Christ Child to enter our lives, should be the question! This upcoming weekend is the first of Advent: readings to be heard deal with our preparation for God to do Something New, to restore the dream of perfection where it has been covered by trinkets and busyness…

ISAIAH 2:1-5 is the Prophet’s vision of the days to come: the Temple will be lifted up for all to access, and the Law it proclaims will be universal. He anticipates that the Word of God will be revealed, and that all nations shall make pilgrimage there to receive it. And once having received this Word, Peace will break out, nations turning their swords into plowshares. And a word to the laissie-faire citizens around him, “O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.”

Paul’s Letter to the ROMANS, 13:11-14, indicates that the Church should be more than ready to receive Jesus: “…now is the moment for you to wake from sleep….the night is far gone, the day is near.” He calls the Church then and now to glimpse the majesty of God in this Christ Child and to announce through our actions that we, too, have caught God’s dream. (What is your current project of mission to reflect this peace to those yet to hear?)

MATTHEW 24:35-44 is far from jolly, for it warns Believers that the Day of the Lord will happen suddenly. The Jesus Matthew presents is hardly interested in the Incarnation (obviously, this has already happened in him). So will the Day of the Lord be glorious or scary? Don’t sell all your stuff and go up on a mountain to await Jesus’ coming, because no one knows when the world will end. But do be ready to greet Jesus with styles of mercy and worship.

And so we plug along towards yet another Christmas. Yes, I’m gonna do the things I mentioned, and spend too much money. But in the back of all these preparations is the awareness that God is intending to come into our midst. Again.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Each Tuesday we unpack the goodies of scripture designed to be read on the upcoming weekend. Come join us, and bring a friend: to horacebrownking.com

Who’s in charge, here? Scripture to be read on the upcoming weekend reminds the hearers that God is still the Big Guy, whatever we call God. Not the so-called president, not the Court system, not even our elected dog-catchers. This is a call to an alternative life-style: while appreciating all our toys, we’re not really supposed to worship them! Our lives are littered with vain attempts to be relevant, to be in tune with the times, to be beautiful. We pew-sitters are told that God is still in charge, no matter what….

We begin with JEREMIAH 23:1-6, the Prophet’s condemnation of the existing “false shepherds” (those appointed by humans), and a promise that God will raise up a Righteous Branch (Jesus?) to do it correctly. Here is an alternative to business-as-usual: in the New Kingdom, the Old Ways of discrimination and power will be overthrown and the power-less will get equal treatment. How shall we live as God’s People?

COLOSSIANS 1:11-20 is Paul’s reminder to the Church that God’s Power is both sufficient and redeeming: “in (Christ) all things in heaven and on earth were created…whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers…” Can we add those poor in goods, those sleeping under bridges, those hanging around the head-shops? Just as the conquerors in antiquity would move the conquered people to their own land (see the Babylonian Exile), so has the Christ transferred us into a new (and better, more peaceful) Kingdom. Wanna come?

It may seem strange to read about the Crucifixion, LUKE 23:33-43, on the day in which we celebrate the Reign of Christ. But pay attention to the sign: “This is the King of the Jews”. All are called to understand that this Kingship overrides any kings or power brokers or wreckers of the White House who may briefly appear. In this Kingdom the rules are different, each person is appreciated for whomever they are.

“The reign of Christ is the reign of peace. The perennial question for the church is, how do we live faithfully under this reign?” (Mary Eleanor Johns, in FEASTING on the WORD, C 4:29) I won’t say the Pledge of Allegiance: my allegiance is only to God’s Kingdom. I vote. I pay taxes. But I’m trying to be faithful to my Baptismal vows, to let Christ reign in my life. Now, can I meet God’s children as persons of worth?

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Please join us each Tuesday to be confronted by scriptures assigned by the Revised Common Lectionary to the upcoming weekend; at horacebrownking.com

Lessons for the upcoming weekend are intended to remind the Christian to Hope. They include stories of weariness in waiting for God’s Kingdom to unfold, stories of impatience and a promise that things won’t be easy for the practicing Disciple. This is good for me to remember, because I’m often cynical about the corruption in government and the misuse of power. Will things eventually get better? Someday…

Third ISAIAH 61: 17-25 dreams of the restoration of the Jewish people with the instruction, “Be glad and rejoice forever in what I am doing”, says the Lord. Even in our bleak hours, even with a people who have generally ignored God, the Prophet can speak of a Divine Wholeness. In this new creation the tawdry have been capsized and a whole new fabric of life has been woven. Our sinfulness has been overturned by a loving, hopeful God.

It’s much too easy to read an ethic of hard work into II THESSALONIANS 3:6-13. This passage doesn’t negate the commandment to care for those down-and-out, but it does exhort everyone to do what they do best. The concluding verse is the best: “Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.” What is “right”? The imitation of Jesus and the fulfillment of the Gospel. WWJD? The exhortation is not just about individual exercise, but calls the whole community, the whole church into activity. I know that I feel more a part of things when I’m given something to do…

The Gospel, LUKE 21:15-19, is Jesus’ warning to his followers that the End hasn’t come, but they themselves will find the going tough. There’re always wars and earthquakes, famines and plagues; those who read the heavens will announce that the End is Near…but the followers of Christ will have their own crises and betrayals.

So I guess that the message is that you and I need to keep on doing what we do best. I do get discouraged watching MSNBC, and ask God what’s next. But disciples in every age and generation have had their involvement informed by Hope… As we look to the future Kingdom, we wait patiently(?) for God to direct history. God Will Take Care of You.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Come join us each Tuesday as we struggle with the scriptural presentations of the Revised Common Lectionary; at horacebrownking.com